


Fate, Destiny

by BookwormQueen27



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:01:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28863723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookwormQueen27/pseuds/BookwormQueen27
Summary: It was insane what she was doing, ridiculous. Or, maybe, it was just a mother who was desperate for her daughter.What if Arianna had went looking for Rapunzel?
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	Fate, Destiny

**Author's Note:**

> Did I say I was going to write Quirin and Varian content? Yep! Did I also get distracted with Arianna? Or course! So, in my mind, Arianna is the most BA character ever, and I was like 'What if instead of let others look for her daughter, she did?' and thus this was born. I hope you guys enjoy! If you see any mistakes, find anything you like, or have any prompts that you want me to take a shot at writing, feel free to comment! Thanks a ton!

Arianna sat in the window, her whole being so empty, so tired. The summer heat caused a thin layer of sweat to appear on her brow, moving through the glass and into the humid library. Plates and goblets littered a wooden table, the food and drinks ignored. 

It had been thirty-seven days since her daughter had been taken. Since the queen’s entire life stopped. All the dreams she had were crushed in a single night. And Arianna couldn’t help but blame herself. 

What if she hadn’t been so sick before her daughter’s birth? What if she had listened and stayed inside throughout the pregnancy? And, before she realized she was with child, Arianna had never dreamed of being a mother. What if that was her downfall? What if the universe was punishing her for not wanting to fulfill its standard for women (Though she strongly disagreed. Women were to be more than a nest for children, they needed to live, and see, and be), and this was it’s payment for her lack of compliance? 

And everyone in the castle kept telling her wait, that in time her daughter would return. And, she tried so hard, Arianna sat in her room at each hour, terrified that if she moved, her daughter would stay lost forever. But she could wait no longer. 

The sun was high in the sky as she looked out the window, her green eyes taking in the sight of Corona in the summer light. Her daughter was not going to come home, not on her own. Which a sigh, Arianna stood up, her body weak from the hour she spent sitting. 

Under the pile of plates, Arianna placed a note, her fingers brushing over the final line,  _ I will return with her, my love _ . Frederic wouldn’t understand her actions, the queen understood that. But she could no longer stand her slow descent into insanity. Each night, she would rise at the sound of a babe screaming, only to realize that it was all in her mind, the nightmares she had dripping into her days. 

Arianna carefully crept out of the library, making sure to avoid the guards on patrol and the stream of servants in the halls. She tried to ignore the envy that sparked inside of her chest anytime she heard one of them laugh or saw a smile, knowing that she wouldn’t do that, not for a while at least. 

The queen could almost laugh at how easy it was for her to sneak out into the stables. Of course, she knew that this would be the simplest part of her journey ahead. In a far stall, Arianna’s horse proudly stood, her golden mane shining in the sunlight. A saddle was already on her back. 

“Hello, Isa,” The queen greeted her mare, putting her hand on the wet nose of the animal, “Are you ready?” The creature merely huffed at the palm. 

Arianna just turned away from Isa and grabbed a pile of clothing that sat in the corner. The violet gown she had on would give her away immediately if anyone saw her, she knew that. The queen changed into a pair of breeches that were a size too big and threw on a shirt that would cover her pale skin from the summer rays. 

Next, she grabbed the pair of rusted shears that sat on the table, the blades dauntly shining in the sun. Arianna had heard stories from criminals who were caught, that even a change of clothing would not hide their identities from the guard (Though she was not a criminal, at least not yet, she knew that her husband would stop at nothing to find her). She brought the blade up to her hair, knowing it was too late to turn back now-

“Hello?” A weak little voice caused the queen to turn around in a flash and drop the shears at the same time. 

“Hello, uh,” Arianna’s green eyes slowly found the child who had spoken, “Cassandra, um, what are you doing in the stables, dear?” She squeezed her eyes shut tightly as she spoke, the mere sight of a child causing her heart to clench painfully.

“Uh, the Captain told me I could look at the horse, majesty,” The girl looked down at the dirt, her fingers playing with the cloth of her dress. “Do you want me to go tell someone-”

“No!” The queen’s eyes shot open at the thought of people knowing where she was, it would ruin her plan. She froze as she realized how the girl tensed at the loud tone, “No, Cassandra, that’s fine,” She looked around, trying to find some excuse for why she was there in the first place, “I was just going for a ride,” 

“Why were you holding the shears?” The girl’s wide, hazel eyes looking at Arianna in confusion. 

“I needed a haircut so,” She paused, hating how the child was picking holes in her plan, “My hair wouldn’t get in my face while I rode,” 

Cassandra seemed to process the words for a few moments, before nodding, “But, what were you wearing that for?” She pointed to the crown that still sat upon the queen’s head. 

Arianna reached for the heavy crown on her head, forgetting about it until that moment, “I… don’t know,” She lightly pulled it out of her dark hair, feeling as if she was removing the last part of herself tethered to Corona, “Would you like to wear it?”

The girl looked sceptical at best at the idea of wearing the jeweled item, “Isn’t that for majesties?” 

“Yes, but, if I crown you, then you can pretend that you’re a majesty, wouldn’t you like that?” Arianna lowered herself down onto the hay, ignoring the straw that bit through the rough fabric of her breaches. 

Cassandra looked at the crown with wonder, before slowly nodding, “Okay…” She moved closer to the queen, each step slow.

A smile broke out on the queen’s face as the girl came closer, “Cassandra of Corona,” The girl’s face grew bright with joy as Arianna started speaking, though she grew stiff, trying to force herself to stay serious, “Do you accept the role of the Queen of Corona?” The older woman tried to sound official as she spoke (Though she hardly remembered her own coronation, the day of a buzz of joy and excitement and loss), though she couldn’t help but laugh as the girl was partially shaking with joy. 

“Yes, majesty!” Throughout the thirty-six days that Arianna had known Cassandra (A day after she became a childless mother, she met a motherless child), the girl had never shown such emotions, always acting far older than she truly was. 

The queen raised her crown into the air above the girl’s head, “Then, it is my honor to crown you here today,” She paused and looked around, “In the presence of the royal horses and animals of the stables, as Cassandra, Queen of Corona,” 

The crown was quite big on the girl’s head, almost falling off the moment that Cassandra moved her head, but the girl was so happy. The golden sun on top was quite a beautiful contrast to the child’s curly dark hair. In a flash, the girl threw herself at the queen, Arianna almost falling back in shock, “Thank you, majesty,” And with that, the motherless child ran off, doing whatever she had been doing before she found the queen. 

“Cassandra!” Arianna called out, holding herself tightly. The dark haired child peaked her head back around the stall’s wall, her small hands grabbing the golden crown to keep it in place, “Please, don’t tell anyone you saw me, okay,” She slowly breathed out, knowing that her softness towards the girl could lead her to get caught, “I need you to promise me that,” 

“I promise, majesty,” Cassandra came back into the stall, her pinky out. The queen smiled at the girl’s innocence, and hooked her own picky with the girl’s. She knew that the child wouldn’t be able to keep the secret for long, not with the crown and her age. “Enjoy your ride, majesty!” And with that, the girl truly ran off, humming some wordless song. 

It took a moment for Arianna to get up from her spot on the ground, her mind and heart still not truly caught up with what had just happened. Part of her hurt more than before, just being close to a child enough to uncover the wound that had been left when her daughter had been so horribly taken. The other part of her, though, felt alive. She could feel her heartbeat loudly inside of her chest, for what felt like the first time in weeks. 

Shaking her head, Arianna rose to her feet and shook her head. This was her final chance, her only chance to find her daughter. The guards wouldn’t find her, the people wouldn’t find her, only a mother could find the lost princess. 

In a flash, Arianna grabbed the shears from the ground and began to cut her hair in jagged lines, the brunette curls softly landing on the ground. The hair that once rested comfortably on the queen’s back now only reached her chin in the front, and moved in jagged lengths from there. 

Arianna let her fingers comb through the hair, noting how it felt duller for some strange reason. But, she couldn’t stay, no, she had been there for far too long. Every minute was precious if she truly planned on avoiding the royal guard. She quickly grabbed a bag from the corner of the stall, inside enough money to hold her over for the longest time, and food for the long journey ahead, and hopped onto her mare, only looking back once on her way out, praying to the Sun above that she would return soon, with her daughter in her arms.

It took barely a week for Arianna to realize how out of shape she was, and how little she truly knew about her people. And, it took a little over a day for panic over the ‘lost’ queen to spread across the land. The amount of guards on constant patrol doubled (Though, there were more than usual to start with, due to the search for the princess), causing the fleeing woman to spend more time running and hiding, rather than looking. 

Part of her wanted to come back to the castle, her aching body longing for the feathered beds and warm baths, but she knew that this was the only way. Arianna never realized how upper class, how privileged she was until she was surrounded by those with so little. Her small little habits and ticks began to grow obvious to those around her. So, she changed. No longer could she hide under the title of Princess, as she had done when she was younger. 

No, she began to go by another name, Dola, after a kind woman she met on her travels years before. She drank at taverns, slept in alleyways, and looked everywhere. She got into fights at bars, lied to the guards, and tried to survive. Whenever someone began to notice how much she looked like the queen, she would disappear again, and wait out her time. 

She heard many tales, of a stone with untold powers, said to be connected to the sundrop flower, of magical cures and solutions. Each one she tried to follow. She made it to a Great Tree in the search for the stone, visited doctors and witches throughout the entire kingdom, and still there was no clear sign of where the lost princess was. 

Years passed by quickly, Arianna spreading her searches throughout the Seven Kingdoms, desperate for a single clue that might lead her closer to her daughter. Corona itself grew hopeless in their searches from the missing royals. Arianna would sneak back into the kingdom every year though, and would watch the lanterns in the cover of the fading sun, mourning the life she had lost and the life she had left. One year she got close enough to Frederic that she could see the sadness and grief roll off of him, his hair turned grey from the hard years. And, it had taken everything inside of Arianna not to call out his name, to reach out to him, but she couldn’t, not now.

Before she realized it, six summers had passed, the ache inside of her chest never truly going. Her money had run dry rather quickly, leaving her to do spare jobs on the side of searching, but nothing was more rewarding (And informing, in all honesty), than the times she worked at the Snuggly Duckling. 

It was a rough tavern to say the least, but everyone inside had their connection, each had sources (Though they were rarely accurate). Thugs and crooks from each corner and hole inside of the Seven Kingdoms and beyond came to the place. Each told drunken tales of their crimes and adventures. 

“Dola, have I ever told you about the time where I stole from the Baron?” The former queen let out a laugh as she passed the man another pint of ale, shaking her head as she did so, “Yeah, stole a ring from his brat, he strung me up by my toes ‘or a day!” The crowd around the men let out a chorus of laughs, high from the liquor and heat from the tavern. 

“That’s ‘othing!” Another man shouted, “I stole three gold pieces from this duke, once,” He held up his fingers proudly, “So, he ‘ut off three of me toes!” 

One of the few woman let out a giggle, “I robbed a bastard blind, and didn’t get caught, you prissy folk,” 

As usual, the stories grew more outrageous, clearly growing faker and faker, each drunken fool trying to create a tale to hold onto. Every person was enjoying themselves, blush painted onto their faces. Until a final tale.

“My brother stole an apple once,” One of the more quiet men started speaking, his rough voice breaking through the shouts, “The king had him hanged…” A silence grew over the group. It was common knowledge across the land, the king’s exaggerated consequences for each person’s crime, from petty thief and beyond, the punishment was death. It was the result of his family leave, most say, that he acted how he did. But, Arianna did not believe that justified a single one of his actions and punishment to his own people. 

The somber mood lingered over the people, like smoke from a fire, only to be broken by the door being thrown open. Everyone’s eyes flew to the woman responsible, landing on a tall, dark haired woman, her curls blowing lightly in the wind. 

“‘Ello, Gothel,” One of the men in the back shouted, “‘ow are you?”

“Evening boys,” The woman, Gothel strutted into the tavern, with a strange grace, “I would like the usual, dear,” She spoke to another bartender, but her grey eyes strayed on Arianna, who grew rather uncomfortable. 

“Here you go, Gothel, just like always,” Hookhand placed a small mug on the countertop, breaking the moment. 

The darked haired woman grabbed her mug and took a small sip, “Perfect,” A seductive smile grew on her lips, and she brought her hand up to pat the man’s face, “Just like always,” And with that, she turned away, joining the group of men that sat at a table far away. 

“Hookhand, who is she?” Arianna turned to the other bartender, breaking him from his lovestruck trance. “Hookhand!” 

“What?” He looked at her.

“Is she new? She looks rather young,” Arianna pointed out, something feeling rather off about the woman. 

“Nah, she comes here often, usually later though. Probably why you’ve never seen her,” He shook his head, “She’s been coming to this tavern longer than I’ve been here though,”

“What? She can’t be a day over twenty five,” Arianna’s eyebrows furrowed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The former queen waved the man off, “You were raised here,”

“Oh, right…”   
  


Arianna leaned on the counter, trying to get a better look at the woman. Something kept bothering her, “How does she look so young? I mean, you’re like, twenty-two, give or take a couple years,” 

“Give…” 

The woman laughed at that, before turning back to the hook handed man, “Exactly, why does she look like she’s so young?”

“Why do you care, jealous?” He teased. 

“No…” She couldn’t explain it, something about Gothel just struck her in a weird way. 

“Why does who care?” Speak of the devil. Gothel’s shrill voice cut through the air. The two bartenders jumped in fright, “Sorry, but I couldn’t help but overhear,” 

“Don’t mind her, Gothel, Dola over here was just wonderin’ how you look so young,” Arianna shot a glare at the man. 

A fake laugh left the curly haired woman, “Weren’t you told not to talk about how old a woman looks, dear,” She had a look of satisfaction as Arianna turned away, uncomfortable under the grey gaze, “I’m only joking dear,” There was a pause, “Flowers do wonders to one’s skin, don’t you think?” Gothel’s eyes looked over the former queen’s face, a look of distaste on her features, “They can stop wrinkles, cure blemishes,” The pitched haired woman bent down to Arianna’s ear, her voice low, “Even cure queens,” 

Arianna’s heart stopped inside of her chest and she pulled away, as if she had been burnt by the words. Hook Hand looked at her with confusion, while Gothel had a look of satisfaction plastered on her face, “Sorry, I, uh,” She felt as if she couldn’t breathe. Was it always so hot in the tavern? “I need some air,” 

“Sorry ‘bout her, Gothel,” She heard Hook Hand apologize to the woman, “Now, how’s your little girl?...” 

She rushed towards the back door of the Snuggly Duckling, and threw it open, the summer air biting at her flesh as it did all those years ago. Whoever that woman was, she knew the truth, that much was clear. Even with her short, greying hair, Arianna knew that if one looked (Or cared) enough, they would realize who she was. She would have to move again. 

Of course, that made sense. The lantern festival was soon, and then she could go. Arianna cursed to herself, it was selfish for her to even want to stay in the area in the first place, with her daughter out there somewhere. 

Arianna slowly walked to the front of the tavern, her horse nobly waiting for her, she didn’t want to see Gothel again, not when she knew who she truly was. Just before she made it, the front door was thrown open in a dramatic movement. Gothel strolled out (Because, by Sun, the world would not give Arianna a moment of rest). 

“Until next time boys!” And with that, the curly haired woman shut the door, and quickly got onto her own horse with a sigh. She left in a slow trout. Arianna watched her slowly move away from the tavern, something inside of her telling her to follow Gothel. 

So, she did just that. Arianna followed the woman from a distance, suspicious of how tense the woman got the further they went. Every few seconds, Gothel would scan the area around her, as if she was hiding something and was afraid that someone was following her (Though, to be fair, there was someone following her). 

Arianna was just about to turn and go back home, realizing how ridiculous it was for her to follow a total stranger just because something felt ‘off’ about her, when Gothel disappeared behind a veil of vines. 

“What?” Arianna muttered to herself as she hopped off her horse. The plants looked seemingly solid, like they were covering a layer of stone. She pressed her hand against it, and almost fell forward through them in shock. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her way through the plants. 

It seemed as if she had walked through a portal into somewhere new. A tower sat in the center of a field, looking as if it w anted to touch the sky. Around, a waterfall fell from the corner and flowers and grass grew in such lush colors. Through her amazement, Arianna noticed Gothel disappear into the tower, entering a small opening in the side. And the weirdest part of it was, Arianna could swear something wanted her to be there.

The former queen waited behind a stray tree, watching as the afternoon turned to night and from the night came the morning. Her stomach growled in protest, but she didn’t want to leave the strange opening. She defended her actions by stating that she had to know why there was a tower there. 

It was almost high noon by the time Gothel appeared once more, seemingly younger than the day before, if that was possible. She left in a hurry, allowing Arianna to peak up and look around. The opening at the bottom of the tower was still there, entrancing the woman’s curiosity. 

Before she could think better of it, Arianna took off towards the entrance of the tower. Old, wooden stairs spiraled up the stone structure, leading to whatever was at the top. She knew that this was wrong, illegal even (Not like that had stopped her before), but it was like something was calling her to go to the top of the tower. Call her crazy, insane even, but it was the truth of the situation. 

A wooden hatch waited at the end, a rusted lock the only thing keeping the former queen from the top. Grabbing a lockpick from her pocket (A gift from one of the Snuggly Duckling guests, the sweet dear), she slowly began to pick the lock, her heart racing as she did so. What did she expect to be at the top? Riches? Secrets? Her daughter (An absurb thought)? She didn’t know. Fates above wanted her there, and who was she to deny her destiny?

With a sigh, she slowly pushed the hatch up, the bright colors that covered the tower’s walls surprising her. Arianna slowly pulled herself up, her eyes taking in everything around her. There was a small kitchen, a table, chairs. Toys littered the ground. It almost looked like someone lived there, in the tower, but that was insane. Almost like a queen running away to look for her child…

“Who are you?” Arianna’s head snapped to see who spoke. Her eyes met those of a child, who had golden hair several feet long. A creature sat on her shoulder, the same color as the girl’s eyes. Slowly, the former queen’s eyes fell upon the frying pan held threatenly in the child’s hands, pointed directly at her, “And how did you find me?” 

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment if you want to see some more! Hope you all have a lovely day/night!


End file.
